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OPINION

EDITORIAL: When Christie speaks, we’re still listening

Published 12:16 a.m. ET Oct. 21, 2018

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Chris Christie gave his first public address since leaving office at Rowan University on Thursday. Dustin Racioppi/northjersey.com Chris Christie gave his first public address since leaving office at Rowan University on Oct. 18, 2018.

Chris Christie hasn’t exactly drifted into the sunset since completing his terms as New Jersey governor in January. He’s offering political commentary for ABC. He has been sought out on occasion to weigh in on New Jersey issues, although his responses to date have been mostly perfunctory and delivered through a spokesman.

He has been hanging around the stage without wandering near the spotlight or even showing much interest in it.

It was notable, therefore, when Christie turned up at Rowan University to deliver a speech on Thursday night, his first such public appearance since stepping down as governor. Christie covered a lot of ground as he delivered an address, took questions from the audience and spoke to reporters.

There were no great surprises, as Christie seemed most interested in polishing up his legacy while engaging in a bit of snarky Gov. Phil Murphy-bashing. Still, like him or not, Christie was a powerful, ubiquitous voice in this state across eight years — and more beyond that if we include his campaigning and days as U.S. Attorney. So the sudden absence of that voice has seemed a little strange, if nothing else. It’s still difficult not to think about how Christie would have — and did — handle certain issues as they’ve come along.

His take on the statewide Republican landscape was depressing; the two politicians he named as potential future leaders were Tom MacArthur, the shameless President Trump apologist who has consistently voted against New Jersey’s best interests as part of his servitude to the president, and Assemblyman Jay Webber, who is running for Congress in the 11th District and shares Trump’s conservative principles and condescending style.

If that is the best Republicans will have to offer in the years ahead, NJ voters won’t have particularly palatable options.

As for his own plans, Christie doesn’t exactly sound like someone pining away for a spot in Trump’s administration, where so many had assumed he’d end up. He was booted as head of Trump’s transition team for reasons that have never been clearly articulated. He also headed Trump’s special commission on opioids. He said he would have accepted the vice presidential spot on Trump’s ticket if it had been offered, but that he turned down invitations to take on other posts largely, he said, because he didn’t feel they lined up with his own skills and expertise.

Christie largely dismissed chances of another presidential run after his failed 2016 effort, conceding that he didn’t see a path to winning. But he couched a lot of the speculation about future plans with “for now” caveats, suggesting the time may come when he wants to get back into the arena.

Christie’s gubernatorial legacy is decidedly mixed. He can rightly take some credit for such successes as the Atlantic City takeover and Camden rehabilitation. His devotion to combating the opioid epidemic is certainly laudable. He has always overplayed his bipartisan chops built largely on a few high-profile collaborations with Democratic Senate President Steve Sweeney, but that partnership seems positively chummy compared to the increasingly frosty Murphy-Sweeney relationship.

Christie said he wanted to give Murphy some time and space to learn the job without chiming in from the sidelines. But he noted that Murphy wasn’t hesitating to blame Christie for virtually every problem he faces. Christie knows that game; he deflected responsibility to his own predecessors throughout his two terms. Christie’s right, however, when he said Murphy is finding out from the inside how difficult it can be to get things done. Murphy, like Christie, has quickly learned that delivering on bold campaign declarations often falls victim to practicality.

Putting Christie’s record into meaningful historical context can’t happen after nine months. But ask many New Jerseyans today what they most regret about the Christie years, and the answer of many might be the crumbling of NJ Transit, which owes a great deal to the apathy of Christie and his administration.

We don’t miss Christie as governor. Policies aside, his bullying style grew old fast and didn’t accomplish anything. We can, however, say this much on his behalf: He certainly would have been preferable in the White House to the current occupant.